MINISTER NALBANDIAN TO VISIT ATHENS
armradio.am
30.11.2009 11:04
The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, will leave for
Athens to participate in the sitting of the OSCE Ministerial Council
on December 1-2.
Minister Nalbandian will have a number of bilateral meetings within
the framework of the visit, Press and information Department of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
TO REMOVE THE HEAD, NOT THE GUARD
Azat Artsakh Newspaper NKR
Published on November 25, 2009
On november 22, the next meeting of armenian and azeri presidents
took place. OSCE MG co-chairs prepared this meeting during their
recent visit to the region.The presidents of beligerent states agreed
to continue negotiations for final resolvement of basic principles of
Karabakh problem.By the way, we must confess, that co-chairs, by
tradition, decided not to make optimistic statements, as it was
before. We suppose there is no any ground for optimism. Nevertheless,
french co-chair Mr. Bernard Fassier stated that there is «important
progress» in Munich meeting, though it’s hard to believe in this fact.
But we must confess that the success was the agreement of two
presidents to meet again. The point is that for reaching not only
middle- term, but also long term decisions, the sides must show both
political will and realistic views for developed situation and
prospects for resolving the conflict. Alas, the absence of realistic
understanding continues to dominate in the mind of azeri president.
Azerbaijan continues to blame Armenia of destructiveness and
postponement of conflict settlement terms. As concerns to
settlement terms, it will be silliness to think that the conflict will
be resolved in near future.If it’s worth for two armenian states to
hurry in solving Karabakh problem, when Azerbaijan absolutely lost the
sense of reality and claims all, moreover it’s done in dictative form
towards mediators and armenian side? «We see three stages of
Karabakh conflict settlement. First, the withdrawal of armenian
troops,second, the return of all refugees to their native lands. And
after this we can talk about the status of Nagorno Karabakh,- azeri
foreign minister E. Mammadyarov said before Munich meeting.Press
secretary to azeri foreign minister Elhan Poluhov added to the words
of his boss that after liberation of occupied territories, armenian
and azeri communities will decide the status of Nagorno Karabakh
within territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Generalizing above
mentioned passages, we must cite the following words of azeri
president Ilham Aliyev «The guard’s tired to wait», and as usual he
seasoned his words with the threat to begin war actions. It’s not
difficult to notice that all prejudices of azeri official position
have no basis and simple logic, and for this cause they are
infulfilable.Let’s analyze the situation. Azeri side persistently
declares that now the withdrawal of armenian troops from seven
provinces is in the agenda of the talks. With this persistence
armenian side declares that this question was not discussed by them
and the status of Nagorno Karabakh is the topic of the talks. We can
trust the second position, because without finding mutually accepted
settlement of Karabakh conflict, where the main is the future
political status of Karabakh, it’s senseless to speak about refugees
and territories. We can not find any leader in armenian society who
will dare to make such a step, which will be equal to political
suicide. As concerns to azeri views on Karabakh status, which is
stubbornly forced on mediators and two armenian sides, we must
dirrectly say, in response to their views, according to international
law and particularly the declaration of the principles of
international law, Conclusion Act of Helsinki, all the nations have
the right freely WITHOUT EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE determinate their
political status, and by own will carry out their political, economic,
social, cultural development. We can not name such position of
Azerbaijan otherwise, than amateur work, claiming revision of one of
the basic principles of international law, for this cause, it’s
extremely dangerous. But official Baku, as it’s noticable, will not
secede such a position. Losing one of the levers of influence,namely,
armenian-turkish closed border, official Baku perhaps is losing the
soil under its foot and it’s unable to find any adequate substitute
for its exhausted policy. In addition to everything, the fact of
unableness of influencing on normalisation process between Yerevan and
Ankara, causes rage in the behaviour of azeri president. «I am
sure, we’ll get what we wish. But I want to get it as soon as
possible.»,- I. Aliyev said. Wishing is harmful in this case,
because judging from above mentioned threats, with such a
potential,which is far from reality, the settlement of the problem can
be postponed. It’s obvious that the «guard» must wait long. But,
we confess, we shall wait not for the guard, but for guard head’s
policy change. Until he realizes inperspectiveness of the position
based on illusions of frightening and incomparable predominance.
Leonid Martirosyan
Jerusalem Post
nov 28 2009
Metro Views: Honoring the Morgenthaus
By MARILYN HENRY
‘I find that so long as you render service – no matter where and how –
all men speak the same tongue, and hearts beat the same." So said
Henry Morgenthau Sr. in 1916, his third year as US ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire.
In a brief time as President Woodrow Wilson’s envoy, he had indeed
rendered service, providing succor and sounding alarms that firmly
established his place in Jewish history and made him a hero to
Armenians.
Deeply affected by the dire poverty of the Jews in Palestine,
Morgenthau in 1914 cabled his friend Jacob Schiff in New York:
"Palestinian Jews facing terrible crisis belligerent countries
stopping their assistance serious destruction threatens thriving
colonies fifty thousand dollars needed."
It was no small amount in those days, but Schiff quickly raised the
funds for a relief project that evolved into the Joint Distribution
Committee.
The next year, fearful of the fate of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire,
he cabled Washington, reporting that "from harrowing reports of eye
witnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in
progress." To this day, Henry Morgenthau Sr. is revered by Armenians
for alerting the world to the Armenian genocide.
These cables are among the documents, memorabilia, photographs and
films in a new exhibit "The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service" at the
Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. The exhibit, which opened this
month in lower Manhattan and runs through 2010, covers the public and
communal service of three generations of Morgenthaus: Henry Sr., Henry
Jr. and Robert.
Henry Jr. was president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Treasury secretary
during the Depression, and helped prepare the economy for World War
II.
He still held that post in January 1944 – the Jew on the president’s
cabinet at the most frightening moment in modern Jewish history – when
his office took a remarkable step. It challenged the US State
Department for failing to rescue European Jews. His staff wrote a
report "on the acquiescence of this government in the murder of Jews."
Morgenthau edited the title, calling it a "personal report to the
president," but he did not mince words with Roosevelt, whom he had
first met as a neighbor in upstate New York.
"One of the greatest crimes in history, the slaughter of the Jewish
people in Europe, is continuing unabated," he wrote. He assailed the
"utter failure of certain officials in our State Department ¦ to take
any effective action to prevent the extermination of the Jews in
German-controlled Europe."
Only days after receiving the report, Roosevelt signed Executive Order
9417, creating the War Refugee Board. Many argue that the board, which
saved some 200,000 European Jews, did too little too late. But
Roosevelt’s tarnished record during the Holocaust and that of his
administration only enhance, rather than diminish, the significance of
the actions taken by Morgenthau, who later was an energetic
fund-raiser for Jewish and Israeli causes. (The moshav Tal Shahar was
founded in 1948 and named after him; "Morgenthau" translates from the
German to "morning dew.")
"What I want is intelligence and courage – courage first and
intelligence second," Henry Jr. once said. He had them. His son Robert
has been the Manhattan district attorney for more than a generation.
(The fictional Adam Schiff, the original district attorney on the
television program Law & Order, was reportedly modeled on Morgenthau.)
His office has been famous not only for its cases, but for the
attorneys and judges who cut their lawyerly teeth there. Most
recently, that attention focused on the newest Supreme Court justice,
Sonia Sotomayor, who joined Morgenthau’s staff in 1979, when she was
25.
A handwritten note from Sotomayor is on exhibit: "Bob – Few can say
they have a friend and mentor like you. I was blessed the day we met.
Thank you for all your support. Sonia" Now 90, the district attorney
is retiring after some 35 years as the city’s prosecutor. With his
retirement, this "Morgenthau century" of prominent public service [by
the family] will end.
HENRY SR. WAS born in 1856 in Mannheim, Germany; his family came to
New York a decade later. He had a career in law and real estate before
he was tapped by Wilson. "I had to wait until I was 55 to earn enough
money to afford to go into public service," Henry Sr. told his
grandson. "You don’t have that excuse." Robert got the message. In
addition to his very public role as district attorney, Robert has been
actively involved in charitable and civic institutions, such as the
Police Athletic League, whose activities include day care, summer
camp, employment and sports programs for New York City’s children and
youth.
He also is chairman of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, whose
exhibitions are notable, in part, for the wide-ranging and
thought-provoking public and educational programming that accompanies
them.
Morgenthau’s relationship to the museum seems coincidental to the
exhibit; the family’s century of public service merits it. And despite
an exhibit that features its chairman’s family, the museum does not
blindly glorify or whitewash the Morgenthaus’ history. For instance,
in its summary of Henry Sr.’s 1919 official "commission to Poland" to
investigate reports of atrocities against Jews, the exhibit
acknowledges that Morgenthau "minimized blame" due the Polish
government for the mistreatment of Jews, for which he was strongly
criticized. Yet he was profoundly moved by what he witnessed in
Poland. "This was the first time I ever completely realized what the
collective grief of a persecuted people was like," he said.
"The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service" is intended not only as a look
back at one family’s three generations of public service, but to
promote it as well.
The exhibit (which has material online at )
urges people to become involved with such causes such as food banks,
genocide intervention and Jewish service corps. As he walked through
the exhibition with reporters earlier this month, pausing at artifacts
and photos, Robert Morgenthau said: "I hope it will encourage people
to be involved with public service."
lite?cid=1259243025483&pagename=JPost%2FJPArti cle%2FShowFull
Surb Khach Monastery to become Crimean ethnographic museum department?
28.11.2009 17:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Starting December 1, 2009, Surb Khach Monastery will
be registered as Crimean ethnographic museum department,
Analitika.at.ua reported, citing the head of the National Security and
Defense Committee of Ukraine’s Supreme Rada, Anatoliy Hrytsenko.
Armenian clergymen hope for Ukrainian Eparchy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church not to be deprived of Surb Khach Monastery.
Surb Khach Monastery, a medieval Armenian monastery located on the
Crimean peninsula, has for centuries been an Armenian spiritual center
and a place of pilgrimage.
Delegation led by Minister of National Defense of Poland arrives in Armenia
2009-11-28 11:58:00
ArmInfo. A delegation led by Minister of National Defense of Poland
Bogdan Klich arrived in Armenia on Nov 27 on the invitation of
Minister of Defense of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan.
During a meeting with Klich Ohanyan said that the visit of the Polish
delegation was significant progress in the Armenian-Polish military
cooperation. Adherence to common democratic values makes the
cooperation between the Armenian and Polish defense ministries even
more desirable while the exiting agreements are a good basis for its
active development.
During the visit Klich is to meet with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan, Secretary of the National Security Council Artur
Bagdassaryan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Karine Kazinyan. HE
is also to visit Titsernakaberd complex and to pay tribute to the
memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
ARMENIAN EMBASSY TO OPEN IN JAPAN
Aysor
Nov 26 2009
Armenia
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan said Armenia intends to
open a permanent diplomatic mission in Japan. This announcement has
been voiced at the meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya
Okada in Tokyo.
Spokesman of the Armenian Foreign Ministry said the parties had
discussed process of settlement of Karabakh conflict, spoke about
the Munich meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents with
participation of Minsk Group co-chairs, and other subjects.
Mr. Katsuya Okada said Japan welcomes the peace settlement of the
process, and contributes to the negotiations in the framework of the
Minsk Group consultations. Katsuya Okada expressed hope that signed
in Zurich the Armenian-Turkish protocols would be ratified in time
supporting peace and stability in the region.
After the warm welcoming, Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandyan invited
his Japanese counterpart to visit Armenia.
STATEMENT’S FROM ARMENIA ABOUT POSSIBLE RECOGNITION OF BREAKAWAY NAGORNO-KARABAKH ARE POLITICAL BLUFF: POLITICAL EXPERT
Today
767.html
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan
Day.Az interview with Azerbaijani political expert Fikrat Sadigov.
Day.Az: The Armenian side has recently announced that it might
recognize the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh as a sovereign entity. Do
you think Armenia will take such a move?
Fikrat Sadigov: I think that the Armenians are bluffing. This is
real political bluff aimed both at domestic audience and public of
Azerbaijan. They think having heard such threats, Azerbaijani public
will be frightened and wait for Armenia to recognize the separatist
entity.
Of course, Armenia is scared of those statement voiced by Azerbaijani
leadership about the outbreak of hostilities if the peace talks bring
no results.
I think that the Armenian side is disingenuous as usual seeking to
give legitimacy to an absolutely lawless processes and phenomena that
occurs in our region.
Q: What consequences recognition of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
may have for Armenia?
A: I believe that even if Armenia formally declares recognition of the
separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, it will a pure profanation. Not only its
partners and allies, but entire world community will condemn Armenia
for this move.
Moreover, if Armenia recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh, this would not
be great loss for Azerbaijan because Nagorno-Karabakh is occupied
Azerbaijani territory in any case.
Nagorno-Karabakh has already been de facto recognized by Armenia which
originally stood behind all these events and supported and supplied
the separatist Karabakh both materially and politically.
Also, the president and defense minister of Armenia periodically visit
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and hold meetings there. So,
there is nothing new for us in this regard. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan
should not leave it unattended and should draw the appropriate
conclusions on the basis of norms and principles of international
law and bring these issues into discussion of world community.
Q: What response steps Azerbaijan can take if Armenia recognizes
independence of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh?
A: There are four Security Council resolution which clearly state
that the Armenian forces must withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani
territories.
In the case of Armenia’s recognition of independence of the breakaway
Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry will need to raise
this issue at the UN, in order to have one of the resolutions altered
and have written there that the occupying party is not just Armenian
armed forces, but the Armenian Republic. In addition to the fact
that it does not admit it did it itself, but not through some of
Armenian forces, it still ignores international documents that were
once adopted and which clearly indicate the need for withdrawal of
armed occupying forces from Azerbaijani territory.
Thus, the picture depicted above is not in favor of Armenia at all
and will put the country in even more stupid and desperate situation.
In this case, Azerbaijan should also ask the UN General Assembly and
Security Council and other European organization to convene.
Azerbaijan will have to raise the issue of appropriate sanctions
against Armenia as an aggressor state, which does not only fulfill
earlier resolutions, plus flagrantly violates territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan and ignores interests of the international community,
especially those countries which are co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.
PLOTTERS PLANNED TO OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT BY USING US, SAYS BARTHOLOMEW
Today’s Zaman
Nov 26 2009
Turkey
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew has said dark forces planned
to use minorities to overthrow the government as revealed in the
investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine organization accused of
attempting to create chaos and undermine the stability of the country
in order to trigger a coup d’état.
Based in Ä°stanbul, the spiritual leader of the world’s approximately
300 million Orthodox Christians, Bartholomew was referring to the
latest revelations of a devious plan, called the Cage Operation
Action Plan, by a group of members of the Naval Forces Command aimed
at intimidating the country’s non-Muslim population by assassinating
some of their prominent figures and in this way undermine the power
of the ruling party. Recent incidents in Ä°stanbul’s KurtuluÅ~_
neighborhood and Adalar district suggest that the alleged plan had
already been put into operation. Speaking on Tuesday, the Orthodox
religious leader recalled that a meeting of the Association of the
Zografyon High School Alumni was raided about four years ago.
Patriarch Bartholomew is hopeful that the revelations related to the
‘Cage Operation Action Plan’ aimed at pitting the country’s non-Muslim
population against nationalist forces will lead to solving more
problems in the country
"When the Cage Plan was revealed, we thought that the raid could be
part of that plan," he said. "At the time we thought that they were
just trying to scare us." The patriarch said nobody was detained
in relation to that incident. Patriarch Bartholomew is grateful to
the security forces which uncovered the "dark plans." "It is a very
satisfactory development that the Turkish police and the prosecutors
have been revealing those dark plans so the responsible people are
captured and tried."
The patriarch is hopeful that the troubles of the Greek minority and
other minorities in Turkey will soon be resolved. And for that he
trusts the government’s democratic initiative, which aims to grant
more rights to citizens, even though it was mostly associated with the
Kurdish initiative since it was one of the first steps. "We are very
positive about the initiatives of our government. It is imperative
all over the world that minorities should be treated with goodwill."
In addition, the patriarch said all the initiatives involving Kurdish
and Alevi citizens and efforts to establish diplomatic relations
with Armenia will help Turkey’s European Union accession process. "It
gives us a lot of hope that Turkey is moving toward the West and the
European Union with the initiatives. Those moves make us fell better
while we are living in Turkey. God willing, the rest of our problems
will be solved and we will be treated as equal citizens."
Bartholomew hopes that the main school of theology of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, the Halkı seminary, closed in 1971, will be reopened.
The seminary was closed under a law that put religious training under
state control. EU officials and the United States have repeatedly
called on Turkey to open the seminary, which has trained generations
of Orthodox leaders, including Bartholomew.After its closure, the
patriarchate tried to train future leaders of the church by sending
them to schools of theology abroad.
‘Sevgi Erenerol injured us a lot’ Patriarch Bartholomew said they
would like to use legal avenues in order to get three Greek churches
given to the self-declared "Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate" run by the
Erenerol family back. As part of the investigation into Ergenekon,
several people with links to Turkey’s "deep state" were arrested
and among them was Sevgi Erenerol, the "media and public relations
officer of the independent patriarchate."
She is the granddaughter of Father Eftim, founder of the so-called
"Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate." "Sevgi Erenerol hurt us a lot. She
was talking against us. It has been revealed that they had meetings in
those churches against us, the state and the [Justice and Development
Party] AK Party. It’s a pity that a place of worship was used for
such purposes," the patriarch said.
Father Eftim was a village priest from the Turkish-speaking Karamanlı
Greek community of Cappadocia in Anatolia who supported the Turks
during the War of Independence. He then became the leader of the
"patriarchate" in Kayseri in 1922 under the name of the "Independent
Patriarchate of the Turkish Orthodox."
Eftim and his family were exempted from the population exchange
between Greece and Turkey, but his small congregation moved out of the
country. Without any congregation, Eftim moved to Ä°stanbul in 1924,
together with the "patriarchate." Eftim had some followers in Galata,
an area with a large Greek population. Eftim’s son Turgut succeeded
his father and called himself Patriarch Eftim II. Then came Turgut’s
brother, and then they brought PaÅ~_a [Sevgi Erenerol’s brother]
from the US to assume the role of the "patriarch." They have all been
excommunicated by the Orthodox Church.
Eftim and his sons call themselves "patriarchs." Patriarch Bartholomew
said nobody elected them."Father Eftim was married, so it was not
possible for him to be a patriarch or bishop. He acted against
the Patriarchate. He was excommunicated but he declared himself
‘patriarch.’ Nobody recognizes the ‘Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate.’
They don’t even have followers. But they received state support. Eftim
and his men came to the Patriarchate and raided it in the 1920s. After
his demise his son took over. Indeed, patriarchs are elected and
it is not a position to be passed from father to son. In the end,
their relations with Ergenekon have been revealed."
In the pages 971-980 of the Ergenekon indictment, there are
explanations about the actions of Sevgi Erenerol and "Turkish
Orthodox Patriarchate." On Oct. 28, 2005, some platforms such as the
Nationalist Businesspeople Association, the Noel Baba Foundation and
the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate held a protest in front of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate and shouted, "The patriarchate should go to
Greece." Ergenekon suspect Kemal Kerincsiz and Noel Baba Foundation
President Muammer Karabulut delivered speeches at the protest, which
were attended by also Sevgi Erenerol and Zeki Yurdakul Cagman. They
left a black wreath at the gates of the Patriarchate.
‘We are citizens of Turkey’ Patriarch Bartholomew, whose initiatives
include advancing religious tolerance among the world’s religions
have been widely noted, although received with suspicion by some
in Turkey, said the number of the Greek-Turkish citizens living in
Turkey is decreasing every day.
"Democratic initiatives will prevent the rest from leaving," the
patriarch said.
"It is sad to hear that our foundations have been referred as
‘foreign.’ We are Christians but we are born here and we were raised
here. I was born in Gökceada. I love my country and village. I did
my military service for two years. I pay my taxes. Our only difference
is our religion. But we are equal citizens under the Constitution."
Records of Greek conference were stolen
On Aug. 12, 2006, all the records belonging to the Greek Conference,
which was organized by the Association of the Zografyon High School
Alumni, were stolen from the association’s Taksim office. The
association’s president, Laki Vingas, said nothing but the hard-disc
which contained the records of the conference was stolen.
"We had three locked rooms in the office. The thieves did not
even bother to unlock these doors, they just took the hard disc,"
Vingas said.
"There was somebody in the conference room who was constantly
recording. I asked the person what television channel he represented.
He said he was an official. He recorded the whole conference and
asked for the participation list. We gave the list to them. Some
people might have broken into our offices to scare us."
In the conference which brought together Greek people from Ä°stanbul
who were dispersed all over the world, the problems of the Greek
community in Ä°stanbul were discussed. Patriarch Bartholomew had
opened the conference called "Meeting in Ä°stanbul: Today-Tomorrow."
AZERBAIJANI PEOPLE WILL NOT ACCEPT DEFEATIST PEACE – MP
news.az
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan
Panakh Huseyn Azerbaijan’s parliament, the Milli Majlis, today
discussed the latest developments in settling the conflict with
Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Serious debate is under way at present on the possibility of settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force, but at the same time there
is concern that the Madrid proposals are pushing for discussion of
the status of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh republic, opposition
MP Panakh Huseyn said.
"Nobody will be able to force the Azerbaijani people to accept a
defeatist peace," the Musavat Party MP said.
He urged the authorities not to change course on settling the conflict
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.
Fazil Mustafa, chairman of the Great Creation Party, stressed the need
to involve the political parties in the Karabakh negotiating process.
Zahid Oruj, deputy chairman of the Ana Vatan (Motherland) Party said
everybody should unite around the president and support his decisions
on the Karabakh conflict.
Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of the United Popular Front Party,
protested at media criticism of Azerbaijan’s closeness with Russia.
"Even if Azerbaijan asks, it will not be admitted to NATO. But we
can reach an agreement with Russia, become a member of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization and deploy Russian military bases in our
territory," Hasanguliyev said. "International organizations and states
say that Azerbaijani territories have been occupied, but they do not
recognize Armenia as an aggressor state. Moreover, America helps the
Nagorno-Karabakh separatists and Section 907 has not been repealed."
Mubariz Gurbanli, a member of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, said
no one should use the Nagorno-Karabakh problem to draw political
dividends. He said that 17,000 sq.km of Azerbaijan had been occupied.
He suggested adopting a special law on the occupied territories which
would ban the operation of international organizations there.
Sabir Rustamkhanli, chairman of the Civic Solidarity Party, said that
the Turkish media and public knew more about the Karabakh negotiations
than the Azerbaijani media and public.
"Why do Turkish parliamentarians know more about the negotiations?" he
asked.
15,875,043 USD RAISED AT TELETHON 2009
armradio.am
27.11.2009 11:15
Today, at 8am local Armenian time, Hayastan All Armenian Fund concluded
its 12th annual Telethon – a twelve hour non stop live broadcast
from Los Angeles, CA. Summing up the results of a year long effort,
which included a whole range of fundraising activities, the Fund
announced a total of 15,875,043 USD in donations and pledges. The
collected funds will be directed at the realization of a variety of
social and economic infrastructure projects in the town of Shushi.
Through building new roads, schools, rehabilitating water mains and
restoring apartment buildings, the Fund will launch the process of the
revival of the historic Armenian town. Parallel to these projects,
the Fund will continue its rural development effort which reaches
out to the villages of Armenia and Artsakh.
Present at the Telethon were the Executive Director of Hayastan
All Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan and the Prime Minister of Nagorno
Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan. The Telethon also featured appearances
by Primate of the Artsakh Diocese Archbishop Pargev Martirosian, NKR
President’s press secretary David Babayan, Permanent Representative
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic to the United States Robert Avetisyan
as well as other distinguished and benefactors.
In an address to all Armenians, the Fund’s executive director said:
"This Telethon is yet another testament of the unity of the Armenian
people. Today, as a rule, we sum up and present the results of
the fundraising activities organized by the Fund’s various local
affiliates throughout the year. These funds are directed at solving
issues of national importance. I would like to express my gratitude
to all the benefactors; without your invaluable support the Fund’s
work would simply not be possible. It is your trust that makes it
possible to move forward, rebuild our Homeland stone by stone and
craft a bright future for our children."
One of the key fundraising events preceding the annual Telethon was
the fundraising gala in Mosvow where Russian Armenian businessmen
made their contributions – 5,290,000 USD – which were reflected in
the final results of this year’s all Armenian fundraiser.
Another important fundraising event on the eve of the Telethon was
the annual pan European phoneathon. The results of Phoneathon 2009
were 1,800,000 USD in donations and pledges: a 10 percent increase
from the 1,5mln USD collected in 2008. More than 12,400 Armenian
families from all over Europe participated in this year’s Phoneathon.
This year’s fundraising effort was unprecedented in terms of the
number of people who participated and decided to have their input
in tackling the challenge of rebuilding Shushi. The participation of
residents of Armenia was especially impressive with more than 20,000
people making their donations in the period leading to the annual
Telethon. More than 13,000 people made their donations in their
local post offices. Others used their mobile phones in an innovative
fundraising effort that the Fund brought together in association with
Viva Cell MTS mobile operator.
The main sponsor of Telethon 2009 was VivaCell-MTS. Other sponsors
were: ACBA Credit Agricole Bank, Ameria Bank, Ardshininvestbank
and Haypost.
The fundraising activities in Armenia and Artsakh continue. The results
of this year’s fundraising effort will be finalized at the end of
the year when the Fund will sum up all the donations and publish the
names of the benefactors.